CO885-11 — Page 105

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

TEC.O.882/11

السياسيا

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

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for the Colonial Government to correspond with the Chinese authorities at Canton except through the medium of His Majesty's Consul-General."

(g) Sir Ronald appears to believe that somehow or other His Majesty's Government would be less committed to re- cognition of the present de facto Government at Canton if the Governor of Hongkong, rather than the British Consul- General at Canton, were to address an official letter to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Nationalist Govern- ment of Canton." I do not agree. Both the Governor of Hongkong and the British Consul-General at Canton hold their commissions from His Majesty the King: and in deal- ing with a foreign government it seems to me that neither a greater nor a less degree of recognition would be given by a letter from either of these two British officials, if written. with the approval of His Majesty's Government. Indeed, it would have far less significance if the Consul-General at Canton wrote to the "Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Nationalist Government of Canton," such Minister being now the only official at Canton to whom foreign consuls can address their letters, than if the Governor of Hongkong were to adopt the very unusual procedure of writing officially to a Cantonese Minister," who is not even the titular head of the Canton Government.

**

4. Having thus replied to Sir Ronald's first argument, I come to his second, which is that the Canton Government is actually preparing a military expedition against Marshal Wu Pei-fu, who is one of the principal members of the coalition formed to sup- press the army of Marshal Fêng Yu-hsiang, and to establish a more conservative and anti-Bolshevik Government in Peking, and that it would, therefore, be unwise to take any step which might be interpreted by Marshal Wu to be recognition of the present military dictatorship at Canton as an independent Government. Unfortunately, however, even if Marshal Wu can make (which is very doubtful) an effective and durable alliance with Marshal Chang Tso-lin, and even if these two Marshals succeed in sup- pressing the army of Marshal Fêng Yu-hsiang and in establishing an anti-Bolshevik Government in Peking, this would not remove the anti-British boycott in Kuang-tung, nor would the Peking Government exert any authority whatever over, the Cantonese officials. We are now witnessing the disintegration of China. No central Government exists and none is likely to come into being for a very considerable time. If, therefore, British interests are to be safe-guarded in the eighteen provinces, this can only be done by direct dealing with the local authorities in each province, or group of provinces, according to the actual cir- cumstances of the time; and it follows that, if the interests of this Colony and of British subjects in the Kuang-tung Province are to be protected, this can only be done by direct negotiation between British officials on the spot and the de facto Canton Government. Any other course of action will indefinitely postpone the revival

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of British trade in Kuang-tung. For months past Marshal Wu has talked of invading Kuang-tung, and months ago he threatened to decapitate General Cheung Kai-shek, when he reached Canton. But, instead of a movement by the northern " coalition " against Kuang-tung, we are to-day watching the preparations for an attack by General Cheung upon Hunan, a movement which will, no doubt, greatly hamper Marshal Wu in his campaign against Marshal Fêng, and still further retard the day (if it ever comes) when the former will be able to invade Kuang-tung.

5. I laid these considerations before my Executive Council on the 10th June, at a meeting at which both Mr. O'Malley and Mr. Brenan were present, and the Council unanimously decided that, subject to the approval of His Majesty's Government, I should address to His Majesty's Consul-General at Canton the two letters,* of which I attach drafts. It is intended that a copy of the first letter should be handed by Mr. Brenan to Mr. Eugene Chiên, and that a verbal communication should at the same time be made by Mr. Brenan to Mr. Ch'ên in the sense of the second letter. Our hope is that, if this course of action is approved, Messrs. Brenan, Kemp and Halifax may be able to negotiate with Messrs. Eugene Ch'ên, Sung Tsz-man and Chi'an Kung-pok a settlement of the anti-British trouble throughout Kuang-tung.

6. This despatch amplifies and explains my telegram of the 10th June.†

I have, &c.,

C. CLEMENTI,

ENCLOSURE 1 IN No. 21.

Governor, &c.

From Foreign Minister, Nationalist Government,

To His Majesty's Consul-General.

No. 141.

(Translation.)

SIR,

4th day June, 1926.

I have the honour to inform you that I have just received instructions from the Nationalist Government to the effect that the Kuang-tung Bureau of Foreign Affairs should be abolished forthwith, and directing the Foreign Office to establish a depart- ment to deal directly with all foreign affairs.

• Enclosures 2 and 3.

† C 11902, 26; not printed,